


The Forces That Guide Us

by brooklynapple



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, M/M, felix has a lightsaber - this is not a drill, force-sensitive felix, smuggler ashe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:14:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brooklynapple/pseuds/brooklynapple
Summary: It is a dark time in the galaxy. The evil Galactic Empire has crushed all opposition, ruthlessly exterminating the Jedi Order and all Force-using people who refuse to bow to its will.Felix Fraldarius, the force-sensitive scion of a once-noble house, has been forced into Imperial servitude as a bounty hunter, tasked with bringing in his marks dead or alive.His latest target is Ashe Ubert, a smuggler who has drawn Imperial ire by ferrying clandestine weapons to the Rebel alliance. When the two of them meet on a planet under Imperial occupation, the course of their lives changes forever...(View thisherein Star Wars opening crawl format, complete with soundtrack!)
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: Ashelix Week 2020





	1. Paying the Price

**Author's Note:**

  * For [purple_bookcover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/purple_bookcover/gifts).



> Written for #ashelixweek 2020, for the Sci-Fi/Fantasy AU day! Huge thanks to [whaleandjanuary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whaleandjanuary) and [MxTicketyBoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MxTicketyBoo) for their amazing advice and edits as beta readers.
> 
> Dedicated to the amazing [purple_bookcover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/purple_bookcover), who has singlehandedly carried this ship on their back and inspired so many people to make ashelix content. I've never written m/m for this fandom before, but reading purple's fantastic [Knight and Squire](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1525064%22) series inspired me to try my hand at some ashelix. Ashe and Felix are an absolutely perfect fit for the tropes of the Star Wars universe, and I'm so excited to share this with all of you.

Felix’s shuttle landed in an out-of-the-way bay in a little-used section of the Imperial star destroyer. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and scowled as the landing ramp opened, revealing a pair of bored-looking stormtroopers waiting to escort him to yet another routine check-in with his Imperial masters.

The antiseptic smell of the star destroyer filled him with his usual sense of dread at this unwelcome visit into the heart of Imperial territory. He might not have had any choice about being at the Empire’s beck and call, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

The stormtroopers walked him through a maze of identical-looking corridors, rifles smartly held at regulation angles. He wondered if they knew how much of a useless formality their presence was, and how easily he could kill them both in less than the blink of an eye. Likely not. They were simply cogs in the Imperial machine following orders, just like he was.

They stopped in front of a door guarded by two more stormtroopers, identical to the pair escorting Felix in their nondescript white armor. With sharp salutes, the escort spun on their heels and departed, and the guards opened the door to admit Felix to a small, well-appointed room with a compact conference table and a window looking out onto the vast array of stars that the Empire controlled.

A grey-haired man in a crisp Imperial uniform stood at the window with his back to Felix, gazing outward. “You’re late,” he said as the automatic doors hissed shut.

Felix bristled. “I got here as quickly as I could. There’s a new Imperial checkpoint in the Hrym sector, and they held my ship for a full day before letting me through. Maybe you should tell your colleagues that I’m on your side.”

The man turned to face Felix. His eyes narrowed. “Is that so? It’s never been entirely clear to me whose side you’re on, young Fraldarius.” He moved to the conference table and sat down. “Regardless, I’ll let the checkpoints know that you’re to be admitted without delay. Now then, I haven’t much time. Let’s discuss your next assignment, shall we?”

Felix scowled and sat in the chair opposite him. “As you wish, Commander Solon.”

The Commander slid a small chip into the center of the table. It lit up and projected a hologram into the air between them, depicting a young-looking human male dressed in shabby clothes and carrying a blaster.

“This is Ashe Ubert, a well-known smuggler. We’ve been aware of his activities for some time now, but deemed them unimportant until he started smuggling arms to the Rebellion. Now that he’s crossed that line, he must be eliminated. You’ll find his last-known coordinates and other relevant information in this data chip. Do you have any questions?”

Felix crossed his arms and glared across the table through the mostly-transparent hologram. For a moment he said nothing, then sighed with resignation. “I assume this will be for my usual fee?”

Commander Solon’s mouth quirked in a wry smile. “If by that you mean the privilege of being allowed to remain alive and free as a known force adept despite the Empire’s edict, then yes. Plus your regular modest stipend, of course. Now if you have no further questions, this meeting has already taken too much of my time.”

Felix’s face hardened for a moment into a menacing expression before schooling itself into his customary scowl. “No, nothing more. I’ll leave now, since it’s clear that neither of us wants to be here.” He stood up and turned to make for the door.

“Felix.” The stern, almost angry command in Solon’s voice was enough to make Felix tense up involuntarily, well-honed fight-or-flight instincts kicking in. “You did well with your last assignment. The target was eliminated quietly and efficiently. I trust that you will do equally well with this assignment. Those that I serve have their eyes on you. You would not like to see what happens to those who incur their disappointment.”

Felix fixed him with a long, unblinking stare. “I know the terms of our agreement. I’ll do the job.”

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled up his hood and strode out the door back to the shuttle bay. He had a long flight ahead of him, and he’d need every minute of it to rid himself of the lingering dread from having to come to this place.

**************

Ashe rolled his eyes as he made his way through the opulent hallways of the offworld pleasure palace. It wasn’t that he begrudged people having a good time, but it all seemed so extravagant and unnecessary. The lush carpet under his feet muffled his footsteps, and the light from numerous crystal chandeliers glinted off the gold-trimmed doorways and rich velvet wallpaper. Occasionally one of the doors opened and laughing, scantily-clad figures emerged, sometimes human, sometimes alien, and occasionally a few of each.

Ashe pushed open a set of double doors at the end of the corridor and was met with lively music and raucous laughter. The expansive, dimly-lit room was filled with card tables, gambling machines, stages with bands and/or gyrating dancers, and a long, well-stocked bar running the entire length of one wall. 

In another establishment and another life, Ashe would have viewed a room like this as a golden opportunity. The distracted, inebriated patrons could easily be relieved of their credit chips without ever noticing anything was amiss, and Ashe had met few dealers who were sharp enough to detect when he made sure the cards were in his favor.

There were a few rare people who had caught Ashe when he was up to his tricks, and it was one such individual that Ashe made his way to now, heading for a sumptuous booth in the back of the wide casino floor.

“Little bird, I’ve missed you! Come, sit, relax, have a drink!” Yuri Leclerc, the notorious mob boss whose empire of pleasure palaces was legendary throughout the galaxy, reclined in sumptuous, sparkling glory on their wide, plush seat. They were dressed in a smartly tailored purple sequined suit that clung to their body in all the right ways, and had several beautiful human and alien companions hanging off both of their arms solicitously. 

“Good to see you too, Yuri. It really has been too long.” Ashe settled into the booth across from Yuri, an open, genuine smile on his face. “I had to lay low for a bit after that last job. Not that I’m complaining. It was for a good cause. Thanks for your help with that, by the way”

Yuri’s smile softened with concern. “You know I always try to look out for you, Ashe. It was a most unwelcome surprise to learn that certain Imperial agents are no longer as susceptible to bribes as they once were. Let’s just say that I had some very pointed discussions with my spymasters over that lapse.”

“I hope you weren’t too hard on them. It was touch and go for a bit there, but I got away and they didn’t catch me. No lasting harm done.”

“Yes. About that.” Yuri looked more uncomfortable than Ashe had ever seen them. “I don’t know if you’re aware, having been in hiding so long, but there’s a price on your head now. A big one. The Empire gives no quarter when it comes to smuggling weapons to the Alliance. It’s why I was hesitant to take on the job in the first place, but the price was very good, and my spymasters assured me it could be done without being detected. As we all learned, they were wrong.”

Ashe shifted in his seat. “I did hear about the price on my head. It’s why I waited so long before coming to you again. I had to make sure no one tracked me here. But I can’t lay low forever. You know that. There are people counting on me, including my family. I need to start working again.”

Yuri sighed. “Ashe. You’re one of my best smugglers, but normally after an incident like that I cut all ties with the people involved. The risk is too great. The fact that you’re here at all is due to the fact that I let my sentiment about our past involvement override my better judgment. I’m not sure there are any jobs I can give you where I can guarantee your safety. Not with an Imperial target on your back.”

“I understand, and it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I can’t let my friends and family down, and I can’t hide from the Empire forever. Whatever job you have, I’ll take it, no matter how small. Please, Yuri.”

Yuri steepled their fingers together and pursed their lips in thought. They pulled out a datapad and made a show of calling up some notes and figures. Finally, they nodded. 

“I do have one thing I might be able to give you. The cargo itself isn’t particularly dangerous, but the job requires the utmost discretion. And it involves delivery to an Imperial occupied planet. You know what that means.”

“I’ll take it,” Ashe said without hesitation.

“Are you sure, Ashe? With this price on your head, I can’t protect you if anything goes wrong. If you get caught by the Empire, you’re on your own. There are too many other people counting on me and my business for me to risk helping you. I’ll have to disavow all knowledge of you.”

“I understand, Yuri. I wouldn’t expect you to throw away everything just to protect me. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Yuri looked pained. “If you’re sure. I’ll have Constance beam you the details of the assignment.” They leaned back and struck a more relaxed pose. “Now then, if our business is concluded, can I tempt you to dally a bit longer? Maybe even stay the night? You know my personal suite is always open to you.” They winked and gave Ashe a smug smile.

Ashe grinned. “Tempting, but you know I try not to mix business and pleasure these days. Plus I haven’t seen my siblings in weeks, with all the running and hiding I had to do. I really can’t wait to get back to them. But maybe next time you’ll be able to convince me to make an exception.”

“Ah well, it was worth a try. I’ll make sure we fully fuel your ship and send you off with some nice gifts for your siblings. Do tell them I said hello.” Yuri’s expression turned serious. “And take care of yourself, Ashe. No more close calls, okay?”

“That’s the plan. And thank you, Yuri. It means a lot that I’m still welcome here even after all that happened. I won’t forget it.” 

Yuri held their hand out over the table, glittering with rings set with precious stones. Ashe rolled his eyes with an indulgent smile and took Yuri’s hand, brushing his lips against it in the briefest of kisses. 

“Take care, Yuri. I’ll be in touch after the job is done.”

“I’ll be counting on it, little bird!” Yuri called after him as Ashe strode out of the casino. They waited until Ashe had walked through the double doors and was halfway down the corridor, then touched their earpiece communicator to activate it. 

“You can come out now, he’s on his way.”

A figure dressed in black, military-grade light armor emblazoned with subtle grey Imperial insignias stepped out of an inconspicuous side door and approached the table. The mask that covered their head obscured their entire face, and the voice that came out of the mouthpiece was similarly disguised.

“You gave him the assignment?” the figure asked without preamble.

“Yes, and as you no doubt heard he was all too eager for it. He’ll head to the coordinates as promised. I’ve never known him to skip out on a job.”

“Good. If he doesn’t follow through, the Empire will hold you personally responsible.”

“And if he does, your masters will consider my obligation fully discharged, yes? I don’t appreciate having the Empire meddle in my business dealings. I pay substantial Imperial tariffs to operate without interference.”

“Once the boy is eliminated or in our custody your debt will be paid. Though you’d better remember that aiding the Rebellion falls outside of the ‘business dealings’ that your tariffs cover. Now if we’re done here, I have places I need to be.”

“By all means, please don’t let me keep you a moment longer than necessary.” Yuri said dryly. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to conclude our business quickly.”

The figure departed through the same doors that Ashe had used moments before, and Yuri breathed a sigh of relief, slumping down in the booth.

“I’m so sorry, little bird,” they murmured quietly. “I had no choice. I hope you manage to somehow find a way out of this one.”


	2. Pursuit

The nondescript warehouse sat in the middle of a largely deserted block in the outskirts of the Imperial-occupied city. Felix crouched in a darkened room in the building across the street, keeping an eye out the window on the warehouse entrance. He scowled.

For once he had been given no trouble by the Imperial bureaucrats who ran this planet. The codes he transmitted for landing clearance had been approved without hesitation, the guards at the industrial district’s entry checkpoint had waved him through immediately, and the door to the building where he now lay in wait for his target opened immediately when he scanned the chip Solon had given him back on the Imperial station. A less cynical man might have thought that Solon had taken his complaint about Imperial checkpoints to heart, but Felix suspected that this target was important enough to them that it overrode more petty concerns.

If the intelligence he’d been given was correct, his target should be arriving at the warehouse in just a few minutes to pick up the cargo for what he believed was his next smuggling job. Sure enough, at precisely five minutes before the scheduled arrival time, a hooded figure in worn clothes approached the warehouse door, confident and alert. 

The target was clearly no stranger to jobs like this. He betrayed no signs of hesitation or fear, striding up to the door as though he had every right to be there. Yet Felix could tell with his heightened senses that he was also tense and wary, approaching this new job in an unfamiliar area with the carefully-calibrated mix of bravado and caution that was a good smuggler’s hallmark. 

Somehow it made Felix feel just a bit better, knowing that his target was a seasoned professional and not just a green boy who had found himself on the wrong side of the wrong people. It didn’t make him hate killing for the Empire any less, but at least he was taking out someone who probably deserved it.

The warehouse door opened to admit him, and now Felix’s waiting game began. He had been assured that the Empire’s contacts inside the warehouse would give the target his cargo and send him back out the same door he came in, but Felix was no fool. Any smuggler who was even half-decent would have a plan to vanish once he secured his cargo to ensure he wasn’t followed or double-crossed.

Sure enough, Felix’s communicator vibrated in his pocket, and he saw at a glance that the contacts inside were alerting him to a change of plans. The target had doubled back through a warehouse corridor and was on the move towards a side door. 

Felix scowled and hoisted open the window. He detached a grappling cable from his belt, leaned out the window, and fired it upwards to attach to the roof of the building. It was just a few seconds’ work to use the cable to pull himself up onto the roof.

From there he vaulted across the street to the roof of the warehouse, using the force to propel himself higher and farther than any normal human could jump. He sprinted on silent feet to the section of the roof overlooking the side door, which emptied into a dark, narrow alley. After no more than a minute the door opened and his target emerged, walking rapidly in the direction of the city center after checking to make sure the alley was clear.

It was the perfect situation, Felix thought. He could stick to the rooftops and the target would never know he was being followed until it was too late. All he had to do was find the right spot for an ambush.

His quarry walked quickly and purposefully without looking behind him. He made a series of random-seeming turns that Felix knew from experience were designed to avoid pursuit. Felix had to admit that the kid was good. It was just too bad for him that Felix was better.

After fifteen minutes of aimless walking, Felix realized that somehow the target knew he was being followed. He didn’t do anything stupid to give it away, like glance behind his shoulder or break into a run, but it was obvious all the same. He began to make more random turns, and kept to more populous streets where he likely thought he had a better chance of losing his tail in a crowd. Felix cursed to himself - he wasn’t likely to lose his target with his rooftop vantage point and force-enhanced senses, but apprehending or eliminating him would be much harder with so many people around.

Finally, Felix caught a break when the smuggler turned into another dark alley, making a dash for an unmarked door halfway down the block. If Felix had been following behind him on foot, he would have escaped. As it was, Felix plunged down three stories from the rooftop above, landing gracefully on his feet and drawing his weapon in one smooth motion to point a beam of pure, focused humming green energy at the target’s throat.

The target nearly fell over in shock, scrabbling backwards until Felix had him pinned against one of the alley walls, panting and wide-eyed.

“Ashe Ubert?” Felix asked menacingly, though he already knew who the boy was. “Your smuggling days are over.”

Ashe opened his mouth to speak, and Felix thought that maybe he’d try to bribe him like so many of the others, or even worse, beg for his life. The last thing he expected was a single, reverently-whispered word:

“Jedi.”

**************

Ashe could tell something was off about the job from the moment he entered the warehouse. His contacts barely seemed to know their way around the building, doubling back more than once after making a wrong turn. When they finally arrived at the room where his cargo supposedly was, it took them several tries to punch the right code into the electronic safe at the back of the room. They pulled out a flimsy envelope and hastily shoved it into his hands.

Ashe narrowed his eyes. This was not the level of professionalism he expected to find on a job where discretion had been emphasized so heavily. He tucked the envelope into an inner pocket of his jacket. It was time to take some extra precautions. 

“I’ll make sure this gets to the agreed upon destination. Can you point me to a rear or side exit? I never like to leave out the same door I came in when I’m on the job, in case the place is watched.”

The contact who had handed him the envelope glanced over at his companion, who shrugged. He turned back to Ashe. “Actually, we need you to go back out the front door. Our instructions were very clear about that.” 

That all but confirmed Ashe’s suspicions. He raised his eyebrows and let a bit of skepticism show on his face. “Now that’s odd. Why would your instructions say that? You’ve hired me, at a considerable cost, to get this package where it needs to go. Shouldn’t you trust me to know the best way to do my job?”

“Look, we don’t ask questions, we just take the bosses’ money and do our jobs. And in this case, the job is to give you that package and tell you to leave by the front door.”

“Well, assuming that your bosses hired a smuggler with the expectation that they’d live long enough to deliver the goods, I’m going to ignore the last part of those instructions and make my own call about the safest way of getting myself and your package out of this building. If you have a problem with that, you can find someone else to deliver it.”

The contacts exchanged a glance. One of them frowned. The other sighed. 

“Fine, kid, suit yourself. If you make two lefts after you leave this room, you’ll find a side door leading into the alleyway alongside the building. Good luck keeping yourself in one piece.”

“Same to you.” 

Ashe walked briskly across the cavernous room towards the door, keeping his eyes carefully trained in front of him. He surreptitiously pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and used it to look back at his contacts. Sure enough, one of them had pulled out a communicator and was frantically typing a message to someone.

That confirmed it - the whole thing was a setup. He should have known better than to trust Yuri after what had gone down, but some part of him had held out hope that their friendship might still mean something. Now he knew for sure - it was everyone for themself.

The first order of business was to get off this planet alive. He briefly considered seeking out another exit door, but decided his chances were better if he acted like he didn’t know it was a trap. He made for the side door he had been told about, opening it quietly and scanning his surroundings with what he hoped looked like a standard amount of caution.

The alley it opened onto was empty. Either his pursuers hadn’t had time to adapt to the last-minute change of plans, or they had a more elaborate ambush planned. Ashe couldn’t bet his luck on the former, so he had to assume it was the latter. He grinned as he stepped out into the darkness. He hadn’t built his reputation as a discreet, reliable smuggler without learning how to get out of scrapes like this. Time to put some of his tricks to work.

He made his way out of the alley walking briskly but casually, without looking back or betraying that anything was amiss. To the average bystander, he would look like someone eager to get where they were going and comfortable with their surroundings. The people who were tracking him would see the standard procedure used by smugglers who were on a job and not anticipating any immediate trouble - attempting to blend into his surroundings and seem like a normal part of the fabric of the city, with normal amounts of caution given the situation.

The tricky part was going to be avoiding pursuit while acting like he wasn’t trying to avoid pursuit. And that was one of his specialties. 

The alley emptied into a slightly busier side street, and Ashe headed in the direction of the city’s center without hesitating. The plan was to make his way to more populated areas so he could lose his pursuit in a crowd and find a place to lay low for a while. Like any good smuggler, he had done his homework before starting the job and made some contingency plans. It turned out that some old friends of his were on this planet operating a safe house for the rebel alliance, and after making some discreet inquiries he was given an address in the middle of town where he could go if he ended up in trouble.

First, though, he had to shake his pursuit. He turned onto a major thoroughfare and began walking quickly through the crowded street, weaving in and out of groups of pedestrians and shoppers. He adopted the mannerisms of someone who was in a rush and irritated with the idiot tourists and sightseers who wouldn’t get out of his way. He dodged under canopies and detoured through merchants’ stalls as often as he could, hoping that whoever was behind him would have trouble keeping up. 

As he approached the dense city center, he began making random turns onto other busy streets, being careful never to backtrack or make it obvious that he was taking a meandering route. Without breaking stride, he pulled out his communicator and checked the address he had been given. It was in an unmarked alley that was ten minutes away on foot, directly off of one of the city’s main boulevards. He could stretch that time out to fifteen minutes with a few more detours, at which point he’d have to hope that he’d shaken whoever had been tracking him.

He hadn’t dared use the mirror to check on his pursuit once he’d left the warehouse, as that would have given him away. Instead, he’d glanced in shop windows and the occasional highly reflective droid to try and see if anyone had kept pace with him. So far he’d seen nothing. Either the people after him were very good, or he’d managed to give them the slip.

He turned onto the boulevard that intersected the alley, made a show of checking the time on his communicator, and stopped at a streetside automatic credit machine. Like most machines of its type, it had mirrors set on both sides as theft deterrents, so that people using the machines could see anyone trying to sneak up and rob them. Ashe pulled up his credit balance while scanning both mirrors for any sign of suspicious activity. Seeing nothing, he logged out of the machine, checked the time again, and walked towards the alleyway at a moderate, purposeful pace.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the unmarked door halfway down the alley, exactly where he was told it would be. A few steps more, and he’d be out of danger.

He neither saw nor heard the figure plummeting from the rooftop until they were already upon him. Recoiling in shock, he scrambled backwards in a panic and was blinded by a sudden flash of brilliant light. He felt his back hit the alleyway wall, and blinked to clear his vision. What he saw next defied belief.

A dark-haired, black-clad man about his height had him backed against the wall, holding a blade made of pure light to his throat. It thrummed with focused energy, and Ashe could feel its heat on his skin.  _ Lightsaber,  _ a voice in the back of his head said. But that couldn't be right.

Ashe had grown up hearing whispered stories about a mythical order of superhuman beings who wielded weapons like this and used their power to help people and bring peace to the galaxy. He had never seen them mentioned in any official record or history, and rumor suggested that they had all died out in the Clone Wars and taken their secrets with them, if they had ever existed at all. 

As a child he had dreamed that they might show up again one day to protect people like him and his siblings from the ravages of the Empire. That dream had faded as he got older and learned the hard lesson that no one was coming to save him, that he only had himself to rely on.

And yet, here he was, face to face in a dark alley on a remote planet with a figure straight from the whispered tales of his childhood. 

“Ashe Ubert?” his assailant asked. “Your smuggling days are over.” He stared at Ashe intently, the burning glow of his saber reflected in his eyes.

Ashe knew he should be afraid. This was likely the person who had been pursuing him all along. His life was in danger, and if this man had even a fraction of the abilities he had heard about in the stories, he had no hope of fighting back.

And yet, amazingly, a different emotion welled up in his chest, so foreign that he didn’t recognize it at first.

Hope.

He gazed back at the black-clad man with equal intensity, and let himself whisper the word that had been on his lips since the moment he laid eyes on him.

“Jedi.”


	3. A Fated Choice

Felix took a step backwards, shaken. No one had ever looked at him the way his target was looking at him right now, like the long-sought answer to a question they hadn’t ever dared to ask. “I’m no Jedi. I’m just a man doing a job. If you worship any gods, now is the time to make your peace with them.”

The boy seemed undeterred by his threat. “Who are you? Why is someone like you after me? I’m just a smuggler.”

“It seems you made some powerful enemies in the Empire. Whatever you did, they want you taken out, so they sent me to do it.” He brandished his weapon again and stepped forward.

“The Empire…” Ashe looked shaken. “You’re one of those scum? Shouldn’t someone like you be trying to protect people, not kill them?”

Felix bristled. “You know nothing about me. Whatever you think is happening here, it’s not that simple.”

“It seems that simple to me. Here you are, killing for the Empire while all some of us are trying to do is survive.”

“You’re not the only one just trying to survive. You think I want to be doing this? You think I have a choice?”

“There’s always a choice. The Empire killed my parents and left my siblings and I on our own. I’d rather die than join their side. So why don’t you just get it over with.”

Felix hesitated. What was wrong with him? Normally he could kill a mark and not think twice about it. Now, the lightsaber in his hand wavered. He lowered it fractionally, keeping his eyes locked on Ashe. 

“The Empire killed most of my family too. The rest are prisoners. Once they found out about my...abilities, they told me I could serve them or watch the rest of my family die. Maybe you could have made the other choice. I couldn’t.”

Felix closed his mouth abruptly. He hadn’t meant to say any of that. Why couldn’t he just finish the job? What was it about Ashe that made this so much harder than it had ever been before?

“What’s your name?” The anger had faded from Ashe’s eyes, replaced by wary sympathy. 

“Felix.” Felix answered before thinking. Now he had given his name to a target. Everything was spiralling out of control.

“Felix.” Ashe repeated, taking a cautious step closer. “What if you didn’t have to do this? What if there was another way?”

Felix shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it. This was going too far. “There is no other way. I finish this job, my family stays alive. That’s it.” He didn’t even sound convincing to himself.

Ashe lunged, and for a split second Felix thought it was over, that someone was finally going to put him out of his misery. 

His eyes widened in shock as Ashe’s lips crashed into his in a bruising, desperate kiss, lingering for no longer than a second before Ashe shoved him away, hard, and dashed off.

Felix cursed to himself and ran after him.

**************

Ashe dashed out of the alley and ran for his life, cursing the whole way. What the hell was he thinking, kissing the very angry, very dangerous man who was trying to kill him with a lightsaber? 

Like any good smuggler, his backup plans had backup plans. If the door in the alleyway was compromised, he’d been told, he could head to a bar in one of the less reputable parts of town. He ran like his life depended on it, weaving in and out of crowds and dashing through busy intersections dodging oncoming vehicles. He had no idea if Felix was following, but he had to hope that this plan would work.

He burst into the bar in a panting, breathless rush, and tried to take stock of his surroundings. It was a dimly-lit tavern with a long bar lining one wall and tables scattered throughout the rest of the room. This time of night it was fairly crowded with patrons, most of whom paid no attention to Ashe as he slumped into a corner booth and tried to collect himself. 

Glancing at the bar, he saw a tiny, cheerful redhead standing behind the counter laughing at a customer’s joke, and a taller, light-haired woman calmly pouring and serving drinks. He smiled in spite of himself. He hadn’t seen Annette and Mercedes since their school days, but it looked like they were doing well.

He walked towards the bar in what he hoped was a casual manner. Mercedes looked up at him and smiled before he even got halfway there.

“Hello, Ashe. Good to see you again. We expected you a little earlier, but these things can be unpredictable.” 

She slid a drink across the bar to him. Ashe sniffed at it and realized it was one of his favorites.

“Expected me? I didn’t even expect to be here myself. But forget about that for a second. I came here because I need your help. There’s a man-”

“Yes. He’ll be here soon too. You should have just enough time to finish your drink.”

“What? Mercedes, I don’t think you understand, I-”

“Hey Ashe! Long time no see!” Annette grinned at him from a bit further down the bar. “Don’t worry about Mercie. I know it sounds kind of strange, but remember back in school how she used to just...know things sometimes? She’s been doing it more and more lately. If she’s not worried about your friend showing up soon, then you don’t need to worry either.”

“He’s not my friend. I need to-look, it’s really great to see both of you again, and I’d love to catch up, but I really need you to listen to me first.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “My life is in danger. The man who’s after me works for the Empire, and he’s been sent to kill me. Can you get me to the safe house that you mentioned in your messages?”

Annette looked over at Mercedes. “It sounds pretty serious, Mercie. Should I take him there?”

Mercedes smiled, as unruffled as ever. “Not yet. He will arrive there when he needs to. For now we should wait.”

Annette turned back to Ashe. “If she says we should wait, we should wait. I know it sounds a bit nuts, but she’s never been wrong about this kind of thing before. And just in case she is…” She pulled back her tunic to reveal a blaster holstered discreetly at her waist. “Sit tight and enjoy your drink, Ashe. We’ve got your back.”

The Ashe from a few hours earlier would have decided they were both insane and fled to try and find another hiding spot. But after what he had seen in the alley, Ashe wasn’t sure of anything anymore. The old rules no longer seemed to apply. So he took a leap of faith and stayed at the bar, sipping his drink as calmly as he could manage.

He had just set his empty glass down on the bar when the door opened, and Felix walked in, shrouded in a hooded cloak. Mercedes looked up at him and nodded. “Welcome. We’ve been expecting you. Your friend is here at the bar.”

Felix looked startled, and then noticed Ashe. His eyes hardened. He stalked over to the bar and seized Ashe’s arm.

“Come with me quietly and no one else needs to get hurt.”

Annette sauntered over to them with an overly-friendly grin. “Well hello there! Ashe, who’s your friend? And can I get him something to drink?”

Ashe looked at Annette, and then at Felix. Felix looked at them both and made a noise of exasperated disbelief. He gripped Ashe’s arm tighter but sat down at the bar.

“This is Felix,” Ashe said nervously. “Felix, uh…”

Felix hesitated, then murmured “Fraldarius. Felix Fraldarius.”

Annette’s eyes widened a fraction. “Fraldarius? You mean like the ancient House Fraldarius? Not to be rude, but I thought they disappeared when the Empire purged the Republic loyalists in the Senate.”

Felix looked uncomfortable. “Most of them did. I was just a baby when it happened. My father escaped with me. We were in hiding for most of my childhood. Unfortunately the Empire found us and that's when they gave me a choice - I could serve them, or die.”

Ashe glared at him warily. “So now you track down people like me.”

Felix met his eyes with a level stare. “Yes.”

Mercedes chose this moment to set a glass down on the bar in front of Felix. She regarded him curiously. “I made this one strong and bitter. But something tells me that you might prefer a drink that’s a bit sweeter. Try it and let me know.”

Felix narrowed his eyes at her, but picked up the glass and took a sip. He gave a small nod. “That’s good. It’s what I usually get. How did you know?”

Mercedes just smiled and went back to mixing drinks.

“Mercedes here doesn’t think you’re going to kill me,” Ashe said quietly, trying not to alarm the other bar patrons. “Is she right? What happens to you if you don’t?”

“I...don’t know. Eventually, the Empire will find me. They always do.”

“Wait.” Annette said suddenly. “What do you mean ‘they always do’? Are you wearing a tracker?”

As if on cue, the door of the bar burst open and six stormtroopers poured in, rifles drawn.

“Nobody move! We’re here to arrest a known fugitive and smuggler. Anyone who resists will be shot.”

Felix stood up calmly. He gestured at Ashe. “Took you long enough. This is the one you’re looking for. Everyone else, get out.”

The rest of the bar’s patrons immediately made for the exit. Felix waited patiently for them to leave, his hand locked in a vice grip around Ashe’s arm. Annette stayed behind the bar, motionless and wary. Mercedes began calmly clearing away the used glasses, humming to herself.

Felix stood and brought Ashe’s arms behind his back as though to cuff his hands. “Thanks for the backup, but I’ll be taking this one in myself. Special assignment. You can all go back to your posts.” 

“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” one of the troopers responded. “We have orders from up top to shoot this one on sight.”

Felix shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’ll just have to tell Commander Solon and General Thales that the asset they sent me after was executed by stormtroopers. I’m sure whoever gave you your orders outranks them.”

The lead trooper raised his rifle. “Funny. Our orders came directly from General Thales. Now step aside or  _ we _ might have to tell the general that his lackey unfortunately got caught in the crossfire when we carried out our mission.” He raised a fist and the other five troops trained their rifles on Ashe.

“This mission may very well have some unfortunate casualties,” Felix said, letting go of Ashe and stepping in front of him. “But none of them will be me. Stand down or you’ll regret it.” He put a hand on the weapon hanging at his waist.

The lead stormtrooper shrugged. “Don’t say we didn't warn you. On my mark - fire!” Ashe threw his arms up to cover his head in a futile gesture of protection. He heard a humming, crackling sound, and saw Felix’s lightsaber flare to life. 

And then time slowed, and Felix began to  _ dance. _ Ashe had never seen anything like it. Felix seemed to be in multiple places at once, deflecting each bolt with his lightsaber as though he knew exactly where it would be. And maybe he did. He moved with effortless grace, not a motion wasted.

It was over just seconds after it began. All six stormtroopers lay on the floor of the bar, killed or knocked out cold by their own deflected blaster fire. Felix replaced the lightsaber at his waist and calmly walked over to the bar to sit down. He took a deep breath, and as he exhaled his shoulders relaxed. 

Ashe and Annette stared at him in astonishment. Mercedes put another drink down in front of him. “It’s sweeter this time. I think you’ll like it.”

Annette turned to Ashe with an accusatory look. “Ashe, you didn’t tell us he could do  _ that.” _

Ashe was too busy gaping at Felix to reply. “You’re just like the Jedi knights in the old stories…”

Felix took a sip of his drink. He slowly turned to look at Ashe. “You’re wrong. I’m nothing like them. There are no Jedi anymore.” 

Ashe shook his head. “There are now.” 


	4. Escape

It was the redhead, Felix noted, who finally took stock of their situation and started making practical decisions.

“Oookay, we definitely need to get out of here fast before reinforcements show up. I think it’s safe to say our days running this bar are over. Mercie, would you agree that  _ now _ it’s time for us to take Ashe and his ‘not-a-Jedi’ friend here to the safehouse?”

The light-haired bartender nodded. “Yes, all of the people I foresaw would be at the safehouse are here. We should go.” 

Felix narrowed his eyes at her. Who  _ was _ she?

“Great, let’s get a move on.” Annette pulled a bag out from under the counter and tossed it to Ashe. “You can help carry these supplies. We may have to lay low for quite a while.” 

She shoved aside a few bottles on a shelf behind the bar, revealing a small keypad. She punched a code into the keypad and a door slid open in a section of wall next to the bar.

“This leads down to an underground passage that’ll take us to our safehouse. Before too long the streets will be crawling with Imperial troops looking for us, but I don’t think it’ll occur to them to check underground until we’ve already arrived safely. The Imperials haven’t occupied this planet for that long. They don’t know about the underground tunnel network yet, or at least none of us have seen an Imperial there.” She pushed a button to disable the keypad and hid it behind the bottles once more.

Felix scowled. “They’ll turn this bar upside down looking for you, and they’ll eventually find that door. Won’t it lead them right to you?”

Annette grinned back at him. “The tunnel network under the city is huge. There are all sorts of branching paths and dead ends and places no one has used or explored for years. Without the right directions, it would take the Imperials weeks or months to map it all, and by then we’ll be long gone.”

“Wait,” Ashe said. He turned to Felix. “Why are you talking as if you’re not coming with us? Are you really going to stay with the Empire after what just happened?”

Felix felt something clench in his chest when he saw the look of hurt disbelief in Ashe’s eyes. He pushed the feeling down. Whatever it was about Ashe that was doing this to him, it was a liability he couldn’t afford.

“I can’t come with you. Your friend was right. I’m wearing an Imperial tracker. It’s part of the terms of my deal with the Empire. They can use it to find me any time they want, and it’ll lead them right to you. So I’ll stay here, and pretend that you got away. I’ll throw them off your scent as long as I can.”

“That’s a very noble, tragic gesture, but it’s not necessary.” Annette’s grin had a touch of amusement as she looked between Ashe and Felix’s earnest exchange. “Signals don’t carry in the underground passages. The passages are all that’s left of an ancient alien city that this city was built over. We can’t tell why the alien construction block signals, but we’ve never been able to get any type of communicator or tracker working down there. And the safehouse is shielded, once we get there.”

“Then it’s settled,” Ashe announced. “We’re all going.” He shouldered the supply bag and headed for the door.

“Yes,” Mercedes said. “We always were.”

Felix scowled again, but followed them through the door.

**************

Annette wasn’t wrong about the complexity of the underground tunnels. Despite his excellent sense of direction honed during years of smuggling, Ashe knew he would have gotten lost if he tried to find his own way through. Annette, though, seemed to know the way like the back of her hand, unerringly guiding them through a series of twists and turns until they arrived at a dead-end passage with a ladder set in the far wall.

They climbed up in single file, and emerged through a trap door into a cramped but homey-looking apartment. The first thing Ashe noticed was that none of the rooms had windows.

“Where are we?” he asked. 

“Better that you don’t know,” Annette replied. “It’s still in the city, of course. This apartment was secretly built in the interior of a larger building, and doesn’t appear on any official city register. Other than the trap door, there’s only one way in or out, and as you’ve probably noticed, no windows. It helps with the shielding. It’s not much to look at, but it’s safer than almost anywhere else on this planet if you want to hide from the Empire.”

It didn’t take long for Ashe to familiarize himself with the layout - they had emerged into a small central living area off of which several doors opened, leading to a small kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms, each with one bed.

“The two of you will have to share the spare bedroom,” Annette said, only a tiny bit apologetic. “Sorry for the cramped conditions, but we don’t usually have four people hiding out here at once. Now if you’ll excuse me for a sec, I’m going to help Mercie settle in and get dinner started. We could all probably use a bite to eat after the day we’ve had.”

Mercedes called out from the bedroom where she had started unpacking a few things from their bags. “You can help me unpack but I’ll take care of dinner on my own. You remember what happened last time we let you in the kitchen.”

“That was a one time thing! I swear it will be different this time!”

“No, it will not. I have foreseen it.” After that Annette closed the door and their voices became muffled.

Felix turned awkwardly to Ashe. “You can have the bedroom. I’ll sleep out here. That couch looks fine.”

Ashe shook his head. “No, please, you should take it. It’s the very least you deserve for saving us back there.”

“You only needed saving because those troops followed my tracker. I was cleaning up my own mess.” Felix scowled and wouldn’t look Ashe in the eyes.

This seemed like the best chance Ashe might ever have to ask Felix the question that had been on his mind since they left the bar. “Why did you protect me? You could have let them kill me, and kept your family safe.” 

Felix was silent for several seconds. Ashe waited, knowing better than to push him. Finally, Felix raised his head and looked directly at Ashe for the first time since their encounter in the alleyway.

“Ashe.” Felix spoke his name like a question for which he wasn’t quite prepared to hear the answer. “Back in the alley. Why did you kiss me?”

Ashe felt himself blush and glanced away. “I-I don’t really know. I knew you were going to kill me and there was nothing I could do about it. It just felt so awful and tragic that the two of us were there because the Empire forced us to be and there was no way out. I guess I just thought that if it was really my time to go, I wanted the last thing I did to be full of beauty and kindness and not more fear and despair.” 

He never heard Felix cross the tiny room but suddenly he was there, pulling Ashe into his arms and crushing their mouths together in an urgent, hungry kiss. Ashe kissed him back, hands sliding up his chest and pulling at his clothing, all thought of protest vanishing as Felix kissed a hot trail down his neck and tugged at the gun belt still slung around his waist. 

“Bedroom,” Ashe mumbled, and dragged Felix backward through the door.

They fell back on the bed in a tangle, and Ashe gasped as Felix pushed a thigh between his legs and pulled off his shirt. The look in Felix’s eyes as his gaze traveled over Ashe’s body was equal parts desperation and reverent awe, as though he had found a rare, beautiful treasure and had only moments before it slipped through his grasp forever.

Felix kissed Ashe again, more gently this time, and continued kissing his way down until his lips brushed over the freckles on Ashe’s chest. Ashe thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Felix’s lips as he kissed each patch of freckles in turn. Then his brain ceased functioning as Felix moved lower, nibbling and sucking down the hard planes of Ashe’s stomach and the trail of soft hair leading down beneath his pants.

Felix stopped with his hands on Ashe’s belt, smirking just a bit at the obvious bulge there. He looked up at Ashe and raised an eyebrow in silent query.

“Yes,  _ please,”  _ Ashe gasped, his breath coming faster. Felix looked like he was about to devour him, and Ashe couldn’t wait to be devoured.

Felix gave a wry chuckle and deftly unbuckled Ashe’s belt and unfastened his pants. He pulled them down far enough for Ashe’s cock to spring free, already half-hard. Felix wasted no time, grasping Ashe’s cock in one hand and lowering his head to take it into his mouth.

Ashe moaned as Felix circled his tongue around the tip of his cock and sucked gently. He bobbed his head, taking Ashe deeper into his mouth each time. Ashe thrust his hips in time with Felix’s movements as he felt his cock get harder and harder. Before long it was twitching and throbbing in Felix’s mouth, and Ashe was a shuddering, moaning mess.

Felix sucked Ashe’s cock with the same single-minded determination that he had once used to hunt him down. Just as when Felix had cornered him in the alley, Ashe knew he wasn’t going to last long. Felix moaned around his cock and Ashe’s hips stuttered out of rhythm, his cock achingly hard.

Finally, with a gasp and a cry, Ashe lost control and came hard down the back of Felix’s throat. Felix swallowed it all and slid Ashe’s cock out of his mouth, panting. He crept up the bed to cover Ashe’s body with his own, kissing him deeply.

Ashe kissed him back and tugged at Felix’s shirt. “It’s not fair that you still have all your clothes on,” he murmured against Felix’s lips.

Felix tensed for a moment, but allowed Ashe to pull his shirt over his head. Ashe went still as he glimpsed Felix’s bare chest for the first time.

Felix’s lithe, leanly muscled body was covered in white scars, criscrossing his chest, stomach and back. Almost all of them were old and faded, but gods, Ashe thought, there were so  _ many _ of them. 

He looked up at Felix, and Felix met his eyes with an intense, steady gaze. “This is what happens when the Empire catches you. I’m one of the lucky ones. I lived to tell about it.”

Ashe didn’t have anything to say to that, but he knew exactly what he needed to do. Slowly, deliberately, he leaned in to press a kiss to one of the largest scars on Felix’s chest. He heard Felix’s quick intake of breath, and felt his heart speed up just a bit.

Inch by reverent inch, Ashe nibbled and kissed his way over every scar on Felix’s body. When he finished, he sat up and looked at Felix again. Felix’s eyes were wet and shining, his lips slightly parted. He stared at Ashe. 

Ashe kissed him, hard, and pushed him down onto the bed. He fumbled at Felix’s belt and sighed in relief when Felix shimmied out of his pants. Felix’s cock was already hard and straining, with wetness beading at the tip.

Ashe took him in one hand and began to stroke as he kissed his way down Felix’s jaw and neck. He felt Felix’s cock twitch as he passed his thumb over the tip, and heard Felix moan as Ashe’s slick hand slid up and down his shaft.

When Felix’s cock was throbbing and standing erect against his stomach, Ashe stopped to slide his pants the rest of the way off. He felt around in a pocket and pulled out a small tube with a grin. 

“A smuggler is always prepared,” he quipped, and uncapped the tube to slick up Felix’s cock. Felix rolled his eyes but made no move to stop him.

When Ashe reached around to slick himself up, Felix put a hand around his wrist. “Let me do it.”

Ashe smiled and straddled Felix’s hips. He gasped as Felix slid one slippery finger inside him, and moaned a few moments later when Felix added a second one. Bracing himself against Felix’s shoulders, he took shuddering, panting breaths as Felix fucked him steadily and agonizingly slowly with his fingers.

At last Ashe could take it no longer. He reached for Felix’s cock, still glistening against his stomach. “I want you inside me. Please.” 

Felix placed both hands on Ashe’s hips as Ashe guided him inside. They both made little noises of pleasure as Ashe moved up and down on his cock, taking him a bit deeper each time. Felix rolled his hips and Ashe moaned, sinking down even further and finally taking Felix all of the way inside.

Ashe leaned down to give Felix a hot, urgent kiss, reveling in the how full he felt with Felix buried so deeply inside him. The change in angle let Felix’s cock press into the exact right spot, and Ashe moaned and felt his cock twitch as he started riding Felix in earnest.

Ashe felt Felix meet each movement of his hips with sharp, shallow thrusts that left him shivering in ecstasy. Felix’s cock throbbed inside him, and his hands tightened on Ashe’s hips. With a growl, Felix flipped them so that Ashe was on his back and began fucking him hard, sinking down all the way to the hilt with each thrust.

Ashe shuddered and cried out as Felix unerringly drove his cock into just the right spot inside him, again and again and again. Felix was breathing heavily now, and setting such a relentless pace that Ashe knew he had to be close.

Ashe was getting close, too - his cock was fully hard again and leaking onto his stomach. Felix grasped it in one fist and began to pump him as he continued to pound into him. 

The combined sensation was too much - Ashe gave a strangled cry and thrust up into Felix’s hand, clenching around the cock inside him. As he spilled onto his stomach and chest, Felix groaned and snapped his hips, burying himself all the way inside Ashe as he came.

They lay quietly together, afterwards, each lost in his own thoughts. It was Ashe who broke the silence first.

“Well, I guess that was one way to settle the question of who’s taking the bedroom.”

Felix didn’t say anything at first. Then he rolled on his side to face Ashe, propping his head on one hand. The expression on his face was unreadable.

“You asked why I protected you. This is why.” He traced one finger across Ashe’s cheek and down his chest. “You believe in beauty and kindness even in a galaxy like this. Even after everything that’s happened to you. If you can do that, maybe there’s hope for the rest of us.”

Ashe leaned in to kiss him again.


	5. New Beginnings

Felix awoke alone in the bedroom. Without windows he couldn’t tell what time it was, but it felt like he had slept through most of the night. He heard raised voices and some sort of commotion coming from the common room, and felt his pulse spike. Had they been discovered? He hastily rolled out of bed and looked around for his clothes and weapon.

He started to pull on his pants and then stopped in shock. All of the lights on the Imperial tracker around his ankle were off. The tracker was dead. Felix stared. What could possibly have made the Empire turn it off? He fumbled with the clasp and it came off in his hands, nothing but an inert piece of metal.

Just as he was about to go see what had happened, Ashe burst into the room. “Did you hear? It’s all over the feed! The rebels blew up the Death Star! All of the Imperial troops are fleeing the city!”

Felix gaped. He looked down at the dead tracker in his hands, realizing why it had died.

Ashe followed Felix’s gaze. “Is-is that your tracker? You got it off? They must have been tracking it from the Death Star! Felix, you’re free!”

Felix stood still for a moment, stunned. His tracker was gone. The Empire was in disarray and couldn’t control him now. He no longer had to work for them. To hunt for them. His choices were his own. And he had no idea what to do.

“They’ll find me,” he said gruffly. “They always do. They can sense when I’m using my abilities. It’s how they tracked me down in the first place.”

True to his nature, Ashe refused to let go of hope. “I don’t think they’re in a position to track anyone down right now. With the Death Star gone, who knows how many people are even left who can sense your abilities? This could be your chance.”

Felix considered it. Maybe Ashe was right. 

“You might have a point. This might be my chance to get away, while the Empire is distracted. They’ll have eyes on my ship, but if I can find a different way off-planet I can go somewhere far away, maybe head to the Outer Rim where it’ll be much harder to track me.”

Ashe’s face fell. “Wait, that’s your plan? Running away? You’re just going to leave?”

“Well, yeah. What other option do I have?” Felix looked at Ashe’s crestfallen face. “You could come with me, you know. We could get your siblings. Start over somewhere nice and remote, where no one would find us.”

Ashe looked startled, like he hadn’t been expecting that offer. “We...we could. We could go somewhere far and hope the Empire never finds us. Or…”

Felix recognized the look on Ashe’s face. It was the same determined look he had seen when Ashe insisted that he not stay behind at the bar. It was a look that spelled doom for his plan to exit quietly and fade off of the Empire’s radar forever. “Or?”

“We could join the rebellion.”

“What? You’re out of your mind. That would be suicide!”

“Yesterday I would have said the same thing. But now? Look at what they’ve done! The Death Star is _gone._ The Empire is fleeing cities and planets all over this sector. If the rebellion can do that, think of how much more they can do. Think of what they could do with our help.”

Felix considered it. The temptation to run and never look back was strong. Yesterday he would have done it without hesitation. But now...now things were different. He knew it, and so did Ashe. He sighed.

“So where do we find these rebels, exactly?”

“Annette and Mercedes have been helping the rebellion for a while now. They can introduce us to the right people.” Ashe grinned. “You won’t regret this.”

And the strangest thing, Felix realized as he looked at Ashe’s shining, hopeful face, was that he probably wouldn’t.

After a few hasty bites of breakfast, Annette and Mercedes led them back down into the underground tunnels, where they walked briskly through the twisting passageways for much longer than they had the first time.

“Where are we going?” Felix asked. “I assume there’s some sort of plan?”

“All of our plans got upended when we took down the Death Star,” Annette replied, without slowing her pace. “But our assignment now is to rendezvous with rebel command in this sector and see where they need us. I’ll introduce you to people there who will know what to do with someone of your talents.”

“So do you have a ship?” Ashe asked excitedly. “I’m guessing that rebel command isn’t on this planet since it was occupied by the Empire until today.”

Annette gave Ashe a look that Felix couldn’t decipher. “We didn’t have a ship until this morning. We received a message over an encrypted alliance channel that said we could find ‘our ship’ at a specific set of coordinates. It also explicitly said that we should bring you with us if you had survived.”

“What?” Ashe looked genuinely confused. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would anyone in the rebellion ask for me? Unless...Yuri.”

Ashe came to an abrupt halt. “This mystery ship could be a trap. The only person who knows I’m here and has the resources to send a ship like this is the person who sent me here in the first place. The one who hired me to do a bogus smuggling job that was really about handing me over to the Empire.”

Annette looked thoughtful. “The message came from a trusted alliance contact over their own secure channel. If our ship really came from this Yuri person, they sent it by way of the rebellion. That doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of a trap, but it makes it less likely. I say we keep going.”

Felix put a hand on the lightsaber at his belt. “If it does end up being a trap, the people on the other end of it will get more than they bargained for.”

“I haven’t sensed anything amiss,” Mercedes said, as calm as ever. “But much is unclear in these uncertain times. We should proceed, but carefully.”

Ashe looked at them all, one after the other. His eyes settled on Felix last. “Okay. I trust you all. Let’s see what’s waiting for us at these coordinates you were given.”

They walked for another hour at least, mostly in silence. Felix assumed they must be heading to the outskirts of the city. He thought of his own ship with a brief twinge of regret. Maybe one day he could come back for it, if the rebels really did succeed with their crazy plan to topple the Empire.

At last Annette led them through a narrow passage that ended in a set of stairs ascending into the daylight. They emerged into a district full of old, abandoned factories. Annette consulted her communicator and had them walk a few more blocks, stopping in front of the door to a building that was obviously no longer in use but still in relatively good shape. 

“This is the place, according to the coordinates. Anything look familiar, Ashe?”

Ashe shook his head. “I’ve never been here before, and nothing here is ringing any bells. But if there’s a ship here, I’m pretty sure anyone should be able to find it, since whoever sent the message you received didn’t know if I was alive or not.”

“Good point. I guess we should see if anyone’s home.” There was a keypad set in the wall next to the door. Annette approached it and punched a few random buttons.

The door opened silently and Annette jumped back with a yelp, hand flying to the pistol at her waist. Felix instinctively slid into a fighting stance, weapon in hand but not yet ignited.

A small R2 unit rolled out the door and emitted a series of beeps and whistles. Felix scowled. Something about droids had always irritated him, especially the chirpy ones, so he had never bothered to learn what all the beeping meant.

Ashe, on the other hand, eyed the droid with interest. “It says it has a message for me. Okay then, let’s see it.”

The droid turned to face Ashe and began projecting a hologram from a point midway up its cylindrical body. Felix blinked. He had never cared much about celebrities, but even he recognized the flamboyant, purple-haired person who began to address them.

_“Hello, little bird. If you’re seeing this message, you must have gotten away from the people in charge of the job I gave you, or at least I hope you did. I know it may not mean much, but I’m so truly sorry I had to set you up like that. I tried everything I could to convince the Empire to spare you, but they gave me no choice. Defying them wasn’t an option for someone in my position, at least not until today. Now, though? Let’s just say I’m willing to make a different wager, and you know me. I only make bets I expect to win._

_I know I might never be able to make it up to you for what I did, but please do accept this ship as a gesture of sincere, heartfelt apology. I’m sending it by way of the rebellion, which I hope will convince you that it can be trusted. You’ll find it in the hangar with the same number as that trick card I used to give you to make sure the house always won, all those years ago. Take it, and make sure that the house wins against the Empire. I hope our paths cross again someday, little bird.”_

The hologram blew a kiss in Ashe’s general direction and then blinked out.

“You didn’t mention that the ‘Yuri’ who sent you here was _Yuri Leclerc.”_ Felix said incredulously. “When were you going to tell us that you’re on a first name basis with one of the richest, most notorious gangsters in the galaxy? It sounds like you two are pretty close, if they’re willing to defy the Empire for you.”

“We were close once,” Ashe said hastily. “But then they sent you after me. I may never be able to trust them again like I once did.”

“If you two don’t mind working this out later,” Annette said, “we should find this ship and not hang around here any longer than we have to. Though I’ve gotta say, Ashe, you sure do know how to pick them!”

She turned and gave Felix a wink. Felix opened his mouth, closed it again, and scowled. All Annette did in response was laugh. 

“So where do we find the hangars?” Ashe asked, looking up and down the street. “I assume there must be a space dock nearby for the cargo ships that supplied these factories?”

Annette checked her communicator and pointed in the direction they had been heading. “It’s a few more blocks this way. Though we probably should be cautious with our approach. Even if Yuri can be trusted, we don’t know who else might be looking for a ship there with all that’s happened.”

“I don’t sense a trap,” Mercedes said. “At least not connected with the ship. But I do sense something unusual ahead. We should be on our guard.”

Felix nodded. “You should go first since you know where we’re headed,” he said to Annette. “Ashe can cover you with his blaster. I’ll guard our rear.” 

“Good thinking,” said Ashe. “Mercedes can stay in between us for protection since she’s not really the fighting type.”

At that moment, a lone stormtrooper rounded the corner in front of them, weapon at the ready. He stopped short in surprise. 

“Halt! This is a restricted area. State your name and purpose!”

Annette, Felix and Ashe all tightened their grip on their weapons. Felix had a sinking feeling that they were about to attract a whole lot of unwanted attention, even if they managed to get rid of this one patrol.

Then Mercedes stepped forward, as calm as ever. She fixed her steady, firm gaze on the stormtrooper.

“We were sent here to find our ship, and are authorized to take it and leave the planet. You saw nothing unusual on your patrol. You will report to your superiors that all is clear.”

The stormtrooper lowered his weapon. “You are authorized to leave the planet. I will return and report that all is clear and I saw nothing unusual.” He turned around and headed back the way he came.

Felix, Annette and Ashe stared at Mercedes.

“Maybe we should let her go first instead,” Ashe murmured quietly.

“That stormtrooper clearly wasn’t here on his own,” Felix said. “We should expect more of them at the hangar. I’ll scout ahead and see how many we’re facing.”

“How are you planning to-oh.” Annette gaped as Felix adroitly scaled the wall of the nearest building, pulling himself onto the roof and dropping to a low crouch. 

He leaped and dashed across the factory rooftops in the direction the patrol had come from until he spotted a group of Imperial troops clustered around the door to what was obviously the hangar bay. He compressed his lips into a thin but determined line. This wasn’t going to be easy.

He returned to the rest of the group looking grim. “The good news is that there are only five troopers guarding the hangar entrance.”

Annette raised an eyebrow. “And the bad news?”

“They have an AT-ST with them.” He expected them to react with dismay, but they stared at him blankly. He rolled his eyes and scowled. “You know, those big armored mechs on two legs with the twin canons at the front?”

That drew the reaction he had anticipated. “Well, shit,” Annette said. 

Ashe let out a long, slow whistle. “Our blasters will be useless against that thing. And I don’t suppose that lightsaber of yours can deflect canon fire?” 

“No, the blasts are too large and powerful. We don’t stand a chance in any type of direct assault.”

Ashe looked thoughtful. “Maybe we can take it out a different way. That’s a grappling cable attached to your belt, right?” He reached inside another of his endless pockets and pulled out an item with a grin. “I’ve got one too. If we get close enough, can we snare its legs with these?”

Felix considered. It wasn’t the worst plan he’d ever heard. “Hmm. It might work, but those stormtroopers are guarding it closely. We might be able to take them all out, but that would alert the AT-ST pilots and then it would be too late to use the cables.”

Ashe grinned at him. “I have an idea.”

The stormtroopers and fearsome-looking mech guarding the hangar bay looked ready to repel any number of attacks that might come their way, but they clearly weren’t expecting a demure, unarmed woman to approach and call out to them cheerfully. 

“Hello? I think I’m lost! My brother told me to meet him here, but this can’t be the right place.”

“Does Mercedes actually have a brother?” Felix whispered. 

“It’s complicated,” Annette whispered back. “I’ll explain later. Now go! And listen for the signal!”

Felix and Ashe took advantage of the distraction Mercedes had created to dart along the sides of the hangar bay, keeping out of sight in the shadows. Felix noted with appreciation that Ashe was quick, quiet and light on his feet, skills he had no doubt developed out of necessity in his years working as a smuggler.

They took their places on either side of the hangar bay with a clear line of sight to the AT-ST’s legs, and waited for Mercedes’ signal. Annette was crouched behind a storage container halfway down the block, ready to cover them with her blaster.

Impressively, Mercedes had drawn all but one of the troopers away from the mech to pore over the deliberately confusing directions on her communicator. 

“Oh my, are you saying that the place my brother meant to send me to is actually on the other side of town? I’ll never be able to catch a transport in this area that’s willing to bring me all the way to Fhirdiad!” 

The moment Mercedes said “Fhirdiad”, they all sprang into action. Felix stepped out from the shadow of the hangar wall and nodded at Ashe. They each raised their grappling gun and fired. At the same time, Annette emerged from behind the storage container to take down the one remaining troop near the mech in a hail of blaster fire.

The four stormtroopers assisting Mercedes all immediately spun towards Annette, pulling out their blasters to return fire. In doing so, they put their backs to the mech and to Ashe and Felix. That was their last mistake. 

Mercedes flattened herself against a nearby building as Ashe dropped to one knee and fired on the troops from behind with his blaster. Felix charged towards them with his lightsaber drawn. Before they knew what had hit them, all four stormtroopers lay dead without having fired a shot. Ashe and Felix turned to face the AT-ST.

The mech had also pivoted in the direction of Annette’s blaster fire and attempted to advance on her position. The cables around its legs pulled taut and strained. They weren’t going to last long, but they didn’t need to. The AT-ST lurched forward, found its leg stuck, and toppled over with a resounding crash. 

Felix leaped on top of its body and sheared off the hatch free with his lightsaber. He peered inside the pilot’s compartment, and then extinguished his weapon.

“Dead, or out cold. Either way, he won’t be preventing us from getting to our ship.”

Annette gave him an odd look. “You didn’t want to finish him off just to be sure? I thought that was what you Empire-types did.” 

Felix glowered at her. “I don’t work for the Empire anymore. And just because they made me kill for them doesn’t mean I liked it.”

He stalked off towards the hangar door and pretended not to notice Ashe watching him carefully, with the hint of a smile on his face.

The hangar bay was completely deserted once they made their way inside. Ashe was easily able to find the ship thanks to Yuri’s instructions. True to Yuri’s word, no one was lying in wait for them and Annette could find no sign of tracking devices on the ship. It was a beautiful, fast cruiser that looked straight off the assembly line. 

“It still has that new ship smell!” Annette exclaimed as they made their way up the ramp and into the ship’s interior. 

It didn’t take them long to get settled on the ship and underway. Felix offered to fly, but Annette shooed him away and slid into the pilot’s chair with an excited grin. Her eyes lit up as she ran her hands along the instrument panel. She gave a low whistle. 

“This baby should be able to outrun any Imperial ships that are still bothering to patrol this sector.” She flipped open her communicator and scanned through its screen. “Though I’m seeing reports that the Imperials aren’t regulating traffic on and off planet anymore. They must be using all of their patrol ships to evacuate. With any luck, we’ll be able to leave without anyone noticing or caring.”

Felix scowled. If he’d learned anything in his dealings with the Empire it was that you could never count on luck. And yet, he’d managed to get this far. Maybe just this once luck would be on his side.

As the ship cleared the planet’s gravity well and entered interplanetary space, Felix let out a sigh of relief. It felt impossible to believe, but he was really, truly free now. They could make the jump to lightspeed, and no one would know where they had gone. And somehow, even the fact that they were meeting up with the rebellion didn’t fill him with the sense of dread it once would have. He glanced over at Ashe who was watching him thoughtfully.

“It doesn’t seem real to me yet either, but it’s really happening. We’re really doing this. I’m glad you decided to come.”

Felix shook his head. “There’s still this voice in my head telling me I should have run when I had the chance. But I’m tired of just doing whatever it takes to survive. At least this way I have a choice. And for once, I can choose to fight. Anything is better than serving the Empire.”

Ashe was giving him that look again, the same one he had on his face when Felix took down all of those Stormtroopers in the bar. No one had ever looked at Felix like that before. Felix looked away, embarrassed.

“You made the right choice, I promise. And with you on our side, we have a powerful new weapon against the Empire.”

“Yeah?” Felix sounded skeptical. “I’m just one man. What could I possibly bring that would make that much of a difference?”

Mercedes turned to face him from where she sat next to Annette in the cockpit. Her gaze was as calm and beatific as ever. “The most important thing of all. Hope.”

Felix looked down at the lightsaber in his hand, and then over at Ashe. Ashe smiled at him, silhouetted against a backdrop of streaking white stars as their ship hurtled through hyperspace towards an uncertain future. For just a moment, anything seemed possible. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my love letter to ashelix and the Star Wars universe. It was an absolute blast to write, and I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> I'm [quorniya](https://twitter.com/quorniya) on Twitter.


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